1601 - 1666; of AustriaQueen consort of France and Navarre and, against her husbands wishes, regent for her son, Louis XIV. She had her husbands will, which would have restricted her powers, annulled.

1606 - 1646Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the wife of Ferdinand III. She was politically active, acted as the advisor of her spouse, his Regent during his absence, and followed him on his travels.

1609 - 1669; of FranceMarried to Charles I of England, she was the daughter of Marie de Medici and mother of Charles II. Being unapologetically Catholic made her unpopular. When her son was deposed, she worked to have him restored.

1626 - 1689; of SwedenBecame Queen at age 6 when King Gustavus Adolphus was killed in battle. She initiated the end of the 30 Years War against advice. She abdicated and disguised as a male, journeyed to Rome, converting to Catholicism.

1627 - 1683Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, she was regent for her son Mehmed IV, whom she would advise from behind a curtain.

1630 - 1714; von HanoverElectress of Hanover, married to Friedrich V, she was the nearest Protestant successor to the British throne and thus Heir Presumptive. She died before her cousin Queen Anne did.

1646 - 1683; of SavoyMarried the physically and mentally disabled Afonso VI of Portugal. She and the king's younger brother led a revolt. She then married the brother, who succeeded as Peter II when Afonso died, making her queen a second time.

1658 - 1718; of ModenaThe second wife of James II of Great Britain, she convinced him to flee England. She convinced the king of France to recognize her son as the rightful king of England, leading to the War of the Spanish Succession.

1662 - 1694; StuartDaughter of James II. She and her husband, William of Orange, became co-rulers, when it was feared her father would restore Catholicism. She ruled in her husband's absences but deferred to him when he was present.

1665 - 1714; StuartShe succeeded her brother-in-law, William of Orange, as ruler of Scotland and England, and was Queen at the creation of Great Britain with the Act of Union in 1707.

1680 - 1741; of AustriaShe was the daughter of Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I, and was appointed governor of the Netherlands. She never married. Known for her cultural patronage. She was also abbess of the Convent for Noble Ladies.

1683 - 1754; of AustriaDaughter of Emperor Leopold I, she married John V of Portugal. When he suffered a stroke, she ruled for him for eight years. She increased segregation between men and women, and between servants and masters.

1684 - 1727Married to Peter the Great, she ruled with her husband until his death, and then as a figurehead for two years until she died. She saved Russia by suggesting her husband offer Mehmet her jewels as a bribe to allow retreat.

1688 - 1741Daughter of Karl XII. Agreeing to renounce the powers of absolute monarchy, she reigned as Queen of Sweden upon her brother Karl 's death, until her husband became king; she served as a regent for her husband.

1692 - 1766Queen consort and second wife of Spain's Philip V, she virtually ruled while he was alive. She briefly served as regent between the death of her stepson, Ferdinand VI, and the succession of his brother, Charles III.

1709 - 1762; of RussiaDaughter of Peter the Great, she staged a military coup and became Empress Regnant in 1741. She opposed Germany, built grand palaces, and was seen as a beloved ruler.

1717 - 1780The only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions she ruled a substantial part of Europe for forty years. She bore 16 children, reforming and centralizing the government, and strengthening the army.

1729 - 1796Empress of Russia, perhaps responsible for her husband's death. She westernized Russia while maintaining autocratic rule. Promoted education and the Enlightenment among the elite. Known for her many lovers.

1755 - 1793Wife of Louis XVI, vilified for her spending habits and opposition to reforms. After the monarchy felll, she was executed by the guillotine.

1819-1901Queen of Great Britain, she gave her name to an era in western history. Having traditional views on marriage, she gave her husband, the prince consort, equal authority.

1830 - 1904; of SpainHer authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military and the chaos of her reign helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. She abdicated in 1870 in favor of her son, Alfonso XII.

about 1834 - 1884Queen Mother (an elected position) of the Asante in western Africa, she tried to keep the peace with the British invaders.

1835 - 1908Last Dowager Empress of China; she took power as empress, contrary to tradition and policy and wielded enormous power, opposing foreign influence and supporting the 1898-1900 Boxer Rebellion

1838 - 1917; of HawaiiLast reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai'i; composer of over 150 songs about the Hawaiian Islands; translator of Kumulipo, the Creation Chant.